Delhi doctors express reservations over certain provisions
Despite assurances of the Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, doctors of several Government-run hospitals in Delhi went on strike on Friday and health services were crippled. Apprehending law and order issues, the Delhi Police deployed additional police personnel, along with Central Armed Police Forces, (CAPFs) to control the situation.
Resident doctors, who form the backbone of Out Patients Department (OPD) and critical healthcare, withdrew all services in protest against the National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill that was passed by the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.
Protesting doctors and several bodies have expressed reservations over certain provisions of the Bill and alleged that these were “anti-poor, anti-student and undemocratic”. The resident doctors’ associations of AIIMS, Safdarjung Hospital, RML Hospital and those attached with the Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA) and United Resident Doctors’ Association (URDA) boycotted work and held demonstrations on Thursday over the issue.
Patients at AIIMS, LNJP Hospital and several other facilities continued to face problems in accessing medical care, many of whom had come from neighbouring cities.
Mahesh Sharma, 45, an orthopedic patient said he visited AIIMS as he had an appointment with a doctor but he was surprised to see that there was no doctor in the OPD to treat him. “It is very difficult for me to come again after taking appointment. I am not even sure about the next date for treatment,” he said.
Another patient, Savita Kumari who is getting treatment from AIIMS for liver ailment, said she travelled for more than 20 hours from Bihar to Delhi but got disappointed after knowing about the strike.
“I reached Delhi on Friday and visited hospital the same day but people informed me about the strike. I saw doctors were staging dharna outside the hospital. Cannot they treat patients who are in need and travelling a long way to see them? There were many patients who returned back disappointed due to strike.
“I came here to get my ill daughter treated, but could not do so and was asked to visit later. I was not aware about the strike. I don’t know how we will manage our stay here as we are putting up on the roadside pavement facing the hospital,” said Vimla Devi, a native of Uttar Pradesh.
Meanwhile, Union Health Minister made an appeal to the striking the doctors to resume work during a meeting with a delegation of resident doctors from AIIMS and various other associations. “I have explained to them that this historic bill is in the interest of doctors and patients. I have also addressed queries that they had on certain provisions of the bill.
“I also appealed to them to end their strike. I told them that there is no reason to strike. Doctors should not defy their duties towards patients,” Dr Vardhan said.
FORDA general secretary Dr Sunil Arora said the meeting was “not satisfactory” at least from the association’s perspective.
“We demand that our concerns regarding role of community health providers (CHP) vis-a-vis a trained doctors, and the NEXT (National Exit Examination) be addressed,” Arora said.
“Once it goes to the President for assent, we would urge him to send it back to the Lok Sabha for effecting the amendments our fraternity is seeking. A patient care should not be given in the hand of quacks, so we are worried,” he said.
On Thursday, Rajya Sabha had passed the National Medical Commission Bill for replacing the corruption-plagued Medical Council of India with a new body, in what was described by the government as one of the “biggest reforms” for medical education in the country. The bill will now go to the Lok Sabha again as two amendments need to be approved by it.
Asked if the strike would be prolonged, Arora said a call would be taken after a meeting of the protesting doctors. Hospitals in Delhi have put in place contingency plans as regular services were severely affected.
The emergency departments and ICUs at many hospitals were managed with the help of faculty members, sponsored residents, pool officers, faculty members of other medical or surgical departments, while OPDs, radio-diagnosis and laboratory diagnosis services functioned on a “restricted basis” in some health facilities and shut at many other places.